Introduction: Over the past few months, Glenfiddich has turned heads with the full-throttle marketing of its Aston Martin Formula 1 partnership.
In travel retail, the collaboration has been brought to life through immersive activations at 18 travel hubs worldwide, beginning with Lotte Duty Free at Changi Airport, gateway to this year’s Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.
Following the high-energy race weekend in Singapore last weekend (3-5 October), The Moodie Davitt Report Associate Editor Camille Bersola caught up on location with William Grant & Sons Master Blender Brian Kinsman and Regional Managing Director Global Travel Retail Rufus Parkinson to discuss how the collaboration is redefining the brand’s presence on a global stage.
The collaboration between Glenfiddich and Aston Martin Formula 1 Team has brought one of Scotland’s best-selling single malts into global sport’s fast lane. But for William Grant & Sons Master Blender Brian Kinsman, the real connection runs deeper than speed.
After touring Aston Martin’s F1 factory, he found surprising parallels between high-performance car design and whisky-making – both driven by craftsmanship, precision and relentless pursuit of innovation.
Kinsman says: “I probably had preconceptions about what a Formula 1 factory would be like, and it was nothing like that. It was far more handcrafted, which sounds odd because there’s super hi-tech engineering, but it’s very reliant on pairs of hands building little components of the car to such extreme precision.
“Watching how the car is pieced together bit by bit by such highly skilled people really reflects what we do at the distillery. We rely on years of experience and a lot of intuition around how you make sure your part of the process works.”
That insight inspired the creation of two Glenfiddich expressions: a 16 Year Old in American oak and a travel retail-exclusive 19 Year Old in European oak, each reflecting the artistry and shared commitment to innovation that unite the two popular British brands.
The release of these landmark whiskies comes at a time when the single malt category has softened over the past 18 months, as consumers grow more selective and seek purpose behind every purchase.
For Glenfiddich, the partnership with Aston Martin provides more than collaboration. It creates a story worth engaging with, and a compelling reason for consumers to connect with the brand in a meaningful way.
Regional Managing Director Global Travel Retail Rufus Parkinson elaborates on that premise: “It’s not enough to put a product on a shelf, add an age statement, and expect it to sell. There has to be a story behind the liquid, a reason for someone to choose it.
“That’s why we invest heavily in our Brand Ambassadors at the point-of-sale. They’re the ones who can tell the story, finding a way to share something in 20 or 30 seconds that stays with the consumer.”
Parkinson says the release also carries strong gifting appeal, enhanced by the influence of storytelling that makes the product a meaningful experience to share and remember.
As reported, the Glenfiddich activation in Changi Airport Terminal 3 in association with Lotte Duty Free has attracted strong traveller interest, featuring an Aston Martin F1 car on display alongside a tasting bar and a showcase of the 15 and 19 Year Old expressions.
Parkinson says, “It’s been hugely popular, certainly bringing in new consumers through the broad appeal of Formula 1, along with the limited-edition release and standout packaging.
“It’s also quite an immersive experience. Travellers can view and take pictures of the car, enjoy tastings and really engage with the brand. It’s been very successful so far.”
At other airports where the campaign has been activated, it has quickly become Glenfiddich’s top-selling product during the period, driven by its strong visibility and recognisable appeal.
“So within this month, it’s become a top-selling product for us at Changi in Singapore. It’s clearly attracting attention, and feedback from our Brand Ambassadors shows we’re bringing in new consumers – people who might not have engaged with Glenfiddich before,” Parkinson says.
“It’s also proving to be a strong gifting opportunity. We know that over a third of travellers are typically looking for a gift, and this taps directly into that. Overall, it’s been a very positive start on multiple fronts.”
Rolling out in phases from September through to year-end, a series of activations will take place across 18 major global airports, with some already launched and others set to debut in the coming months.
Key locations include London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Delhi, Mumbai, Incheon, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Taipei, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York, Istanbul and Frankfurt.
A strategic step in Glenfiddich’s premium focus
Glenfiddich has placed rarity at the core of its collaboration with the Aston Martin Formula 1 team through the release of an ultra-rare 1959 Glenfiddich.
This expression pays tribute to Aston Martin’s inaugural season in Formula 1. In honour of this landmark, the team delved into the Glenfiddich archives with Kinsman personally searching the distillery’s warehouses to find a cask from this year.
Just seven bottles have been released globally, with one showcased by Lotte Duty Free at Changi Airport alongside an exclusive allocation, underscoring travel retail’s key role in Glenfiddich’s premiumisation journey.
Parkinson says, “Glenfiddich is certainly moving further into the luxury space, but we remain committed to our core consumer.
“That’s very much who we are – our bread and butter. At the same time, there are opportunities, whether through limited editions or high-age rarities, to offer people something a little more special.
“It’s all about balance. Our core range, from the 15 Year Old to non-age-statement expressions, remains central to the business. We are premiumising, but in a more selective way rather than universally.”
Driving innovation
With product innovation a constant focus, Glenfiddich ensures its core range of aged expressions remains consistent and reliably meets consumer expectations.
At the same time, the brand pursues opportunities for more experimental releases. The collaboration with Aston Martin Formula 1, for example, allows Glenfiddich to create one-off batches that can be showcased, bottled and sold while telling a compelling story.
Kinsman says: “Global travel retail is another great place where we can have things that sit alongside the core. It gives you a chance to be a little more playful, push the boundaries of flavour, and so, with the backbone of Glenfiddich in the house style, we can do variants that go slightly off that path but still maintain the DNA.
“We’ve got a strong pipeline, not everything will come to market, and it’s a case of working with each region or channel to see what will work for which consumer. It’s always about thinking long term, staying ahead and having initiatives well underway before the market is even ready for them.”
Looking ahead, Kinsman anticipates a shift in innovation back towards the distillery itself, rather than just at the cask stage, with new ideas continuously emerging.
He says: “It’s about personalising the stories more and grounding them in the distillery. The single biggest thing for us is that if every consumer could visit Glenfiddich Distillery, they’d become brand ambassadors for life.
“It’s an extraordinary place where you can feel the soul of everything that goes on there. In travel retail, you can’t replicate that fully, but you can come close, giving people a sense of what it’s like to stand in the facility and taste the whisky.
“Some of our innovations aim to capture that experience, helping bring the distillery to life for those who haven’t been or can’t visit.”
Accelerating ahead
As the single malt market expands, Glenfiddich is increasingly focusing on emerging regions for the category such as North Asia, India and the Middle East.
Parkinson explains, “Advocacy is a massive part. We have to engage consumers more as they travel through airports, have a conversation with them and really let them discover the world of single malts, in our case, Glenfiddich, but The Balvenie as well.”
The company is expanding its retail footprint with more dedicated shopping spaces, currently totalling nine across airports, primarily in Asia Pacific and India. Additional locations are set to open in Europe, with plans for the USA in 2026.
“That would be a big step forward in terms of those markets, too. That really provides the opportunity to showcase the whole brand experience, immerse consumers in that world of Glenfiddich, tell the story, but also have quality tasting, quality time with the consumer,” Parkinson says.
Despite global headwinds, Glenfiddich considers single malts to be in a relatively strong position, noting their positive momentum within the wider Scotch whisky category. Growth, while not uniform, has been particularly evident in the Middle East, India and North Asia.
Parkinson says, “In China, we’re seeing very strong growth, though the market is still in the early stages of embracing international spirits and single malts, so there’s significant potential. Southeast Asia is a bit slower but gaining momentum, while Europe is performing steadily.”
Looking ahead, Glenfiddich anticipates travel retail will play a growing role in the whisky category, where immersive discovery experiences will drive engagement.
Parkinson says, “One of the struggles for retailers generally is that as passenger numbers grow, either their conversion rates drop or their average spend rates drop because airports get busier and people have less time, and they feel a bit more anxiety about getting to their gate and getting on a plane.
“So how do we make sure that we can actually have something that’s outstanding that people will actually engage with?”
Kinsman adds, “Whether it’s an activation or simply interacting with a person, the level of training, knowledge, and the ability to answer questions, ‘What is this and why is it different?’, has become an expectation.
“It’s something we’ve done well over the years, and to be fair, the competition does it too. There’s almost always something engaging happening in travel retail.” ✈
